


Don't Look Back

by Eilera



Series: Escort Shiro [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Escorts, Alternate Universe - Veterinarians, Drama, Established Relationship, Family Dinners, Fundraisers, M/M, Matt is Rich, Matt is Still a Genius, Move Aside Bruce Wayne, Nothing explicit, Protective Siblings, References to Past Child Abuse, Romance, Shatt, Shiro is an Ex-Escort Turned Vet, Shiro's Just Trying to Move On, Stalking, like really rich, some violence, two dorks in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 02:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16008380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera
Summary: “What do you need me to do?”“We need to take him down, Shiro. Zarkon is a powerful man. We need all the proof we can get. I know I’m asking a lot, but we need you to testify.”If this all went sideways, Zarkon could easily destroy everything Shiro had worked towards. He was not a man to be trifled with.But if he went free he'd just do it again and Shiro couldn’t just sit by and let that happen.“I'll do it.”(Direct Sequel to 'A Helping Hand': In which Shiro is trying to move on from his past as an escort with Matt's help, but someone just can't let him go.)





	Don't Look Back

**Author's Note:**

> A couple people requested a sequel to my Escort!Shiro fic and I was happy to oblige. It also ended up way longer than I anticipated. Please read 'A Helping Hand' prior to this one or you'll be very confused. 
> 
> Special thanks to dofuuhua and MattTheBlueBerry for letting me bounce ideas off of them and for their amazing encouragement. I'd also like to thank everyone that gave kudos and comments on the first installment. 
> 
> Also, no thanks is complete without mentioning [DeathByStorm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByStorm/works) for being an amazing beta, as usual.

It had been a long day.

Shiro yawned as he struggled to fit his key into the lock. Matt would probably crack a joke here, but Shiro was too tired to contemplate it much. He pushed the door open, automatically putting his hand out in front of him to block-

Champion? Where was Champion?

Shiro blinked, keys halfway to the hook as he looked around. The living room was quiet, the television still on. Some soap opera was droning on dramatically, but it was soft enough that Shiro couldn’t make out the words.

Had Matt taken Champion out for a walk? It was nearly impossible to get the other man outside otherwise.

Shiro curiously stepped further into the room and that’s when he smelled it.

A distinct smoky scent.

He padded over to the kitchen, leaning on the doorframe while he took in the burned remains of French fries turned charcoal still sitting on the counter. Ah, so Matt had forgotten he was cooking something again. Probably got distracted by another creative invention.

He wandered back into the living room, heading to Matt’s drafting room.

Matt was passed out on the floor, slumped over awkwardly on Champion, using the dog as a makeshift pillow. His two pet rats, Strudel and Danish, were cuddled together in the hood of his sweater, noses twitching as they dreamed. Leave it to Matt to name his pet rats after delicious pastries. It was both cheesy and adorable. Champion was curled up into a ball, nose tucked into Matt’s armpit because that’s just what he did sometimes.

Okay, there went his heart, melting into a puddle on the floor.

Shiro screamed internally as he pulled out his phone, shamelessly snapping some pictures of his boyfriend and their animal babies. These were adorable enough to frame. It was worth it to have to deal with Matt’s boasting to have these on the wall.

Or maybe in his new office.

Shiro couldn’t help the smile that twitched at his lips.

It was exciting to know that he had finally made it to where he wanted to be. He was one of two veterinarians working at the best animal clinic in the city. It had taken a long time to get there, but Shiro was so proud of himself.

Matt had been a lot of help.

Deciding to leave them be for now, Shiro wandered back into the kitchen. He dumped the fries into the garbage, lamenting the waste of food. Matt often got distracted when inspiration struck but at least he hadn’t burned down their apartment.

Yet.

He opened the fridge to stare at what else they had.

There was food there, but-

Shiro tapped his prosthetic on the handle of the fridge. Fuck it. He was tired. He gently closed the door and perused the take-out menus on it. He’d just get them some sushi or something.

“Oh, you’re home. What time is it?”

Shiro looked over as Matt sleepily wandered into the kitchen. He was scratching his belly beneath his hoodie, letting Shiro catch glimpses of skin whenever he moved. Shiro swallowed. Even half asleep, Matt was gorgeous, his long hair tied back in a messy ponytail that Shiro just wanted to run his fingers through. “I, uh, just got home. I was going to order in some dinner if you’re hungry?”

Matt paused, brain still rebooting and not quite at one hundred percent. Strudel poked his head over Matt’s shoulder, whiskers twitching with anticipation. “Food?” Matt mumbled, blinking.

Shiro chuckled, moving towards him to press a kiss to his lips. “I’ll get us something.”

He held out his hand for Strudel to climb on, smiling as the rat scurried up his arm to perch on his shoulder. Shiro reached up to the box of cereal on top of the fridge, pulling out a single Cheerio and presenting it to the excited Strudel.

Matt pouted. “He’s gonna get fat.”

Shiro pulled out another Cheerio, moving over to Matt as Danish poked his head out of the tangle of Matt’s hair. The rat gobbled up the treat in quick little nibbles.

“They’re already fat because you spoil them,” Shiro said, helping Strudel return to Matt’s hood.

Matt gasped in mock outrage. “Don’t fat shame them, honey cake. They’re just big boned.”

Shiro rolled his eyes, a fond smile sliding onto his face.

“How about-"

Shiro cut himself off as his cell phone rang in his pocket.

Matt started perusing the takeout menus as Shiro answered his phone.

“Hello?”

“Shiro.”

“Allura? What- why are you calling? Is everything okay?”

Matt glanced up at Shiro's tone.

Allura had been Shiro’s boss back when he worked as an escort. She was strict, but she always had their backs, doing whatever she could to keep them safe in a business crawling with predators. She'd been excited for him when he quit, though disappointed to see him go.

“Shiro,” Allura said, pausing to control the tremor in her voice. “I need your help.”

Shiro switched his phone to the other ear.

“I know you said you didn’t want to press charges against Zarkon for the…incident,” Allura said tactfully, too used to covering things up instead of speaking plainly. “I respect your decision, but there's been another incident.”

Shiro frowned. “How? I thought he was being removed from the safe list.”

The phone buzzed with static as Allura huffed out a sigh. “He was, but he just moved to another escort service. One not as thorough in their background checks.”

Dread settled in Shiro’s stomach, weighing him down. “How bad is it?”

Allura's voice was cold with fury. “I don’t think the victim will be in a position to testify. Shiro, he’s in a coma.”

Shiro gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, nails digging into the surface. A coma? What the hell did they do to him?

How close had Shiro come to the same fate?

Matt placed his hand gently on Shiro’s back, rubbing soothing circles into his stiff muscles.

“What do you need me to do?”

“We need to take him down, Shiro. Zarkon is a powerful man. We need all the proof we can get. I know I’m asking a lot, but we need you to testify.”

If this all went sideways, Zarkon could easily destroy everything Shiro had worked towards. He was not a man to be trifled with.

But if he went free he'd just do it again and Shiro couldn’t just sit by and let that happen.

“I'll do it.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt sighed as they walked up the path to his parents' door. Family dinners were never a trial for him, but he was really tired after working nearly three days straight on an upgraded prosthetic prototype. His family wasn’t particularly happy when he put off sleep to work on a project, even if they understood the impulse. Luckily for Matt, his boyfriend was the sweetest cinnamon roll to ever walk across that threshold and he hoped he would distract them enough to let him escape without comment.

This was only the second time Shiro was meeting his parents for more than a few minutes at a time and Matt was fully prepared for them to do something weird and scare Shiro away. It was a Holt family trait. It was inevitable.

Shiro squeezed his hand gently. “Are you ready?”

Matt peered up at him. “Are _you_ ready?”

Shiro’s smile was soft and warm. “So long as you’re with me.”

Matt groaned, letting his forehead rest against Shiro’s chest. “You can’t say stuff to me like that just before we walk in the door! I’m gonna look like a tomato!”

Shiro’s chuckle rumbled through Matt’s head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” Matt mumbled, letting his fingers tangle with Shiro’s as he leaned up to press a kiss to his lips. “Either way, I’m just going to go ahead and apologize in advance for my family. Not all of them are as cool as me.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shiro said, pulling him towards the door.

“I’m just saying, don’t judge me by my family. I have no control over that.”

Shiro paused by the door, eyes sparkling with mischief. “I judge you enough as it is.”

Matt gave a mock gasp, hand to his chest. “How _dare_ you, sir! I am the epitome of grace and tact.”

Shiro snorted as he knocked lightly on the door.

“Oh, and be careful, Pidge is going to try and convince you to get her a snake. Don’t fall for her plot unless you want my mother to hate you.”

“I-“

“I got it!” Pidge’s voice rang through the house and Matt winced. Excited footsteps neared the door and she flung it open with all the grace of a charging rhino.

“Did you bring Champion?” She blurted excitedly in greeting.

Matt bristled. “Excuse me, I’m your brother, born from the same mother and father and with the same blood running through my veins and you want to see a dog over me?”

“To be fair, he is an awesome dog,” Shiro muttered.

Betrayal.

“See? Shiro understands me.” Pidge looked around, shoulders drooping with disappointment. “No Champion?”

Shiro smiled softly and ruffled her hair. “Sorry, he had to stay behind this time.”

“Oh, well-“

There was the sound of feet scrabbling at the hardwood floor and Colleen’s voice interrupted the quiet.

“Katie! Catch Bae Bae! Don’t let him out!”

As if on queue, Bae Bae came tearing down the hall, tongue lolling out in excitement.

“Bae Bae!” Matt called out, extending his arms to embrace the dog.

Bae Bae tore right past him to launch himself at Shiro, licking his chin and slapping Matt in the face with his tail.

Ultimate betrayal.

“Why do I even come here?” Matt groused, pushing through the front door and kicking off his shoes. “I’m disowning this family.”

Shiro followed behind him, gently putting Bae Bae on the floor. The dog padded over to Pidge, inserting himself in between her legs because he was a weirdo. 

“You wouldn’t survive five minutes without us,” Pidge said, sticking her tongue out at Matt, the little gremlin. She bent down to pat Bae Bae on the butt.

“Matthew, is that you?” A voice called out and Matt looked up to see Sam Holt bolting down the stairs. He wasn’t wearing pants.

What did Matt do to deserve this? Did he punch a kitten in a previous life?

“Dad!” Matt hollered, covering Shiro’s eyes with both hands. “Put some pants on!”

Sam Holt frowned, looking at Matt with disappointment. “We’re all family here.”

Shiro twitched beneath Matt’s fingers and he could actually feel the heat coming from his skin. Was Shiro blushing over being called part of the family!?

What an adorable dork.

“Dad, c’mon. You’re gonna scare Shiro away.” Pidge laughed, backing up so that Bae Bae was no longer between her legs. The dog circled around her, looking up as if expecting a treat. Matt suspected she was feeding them to him more than she was supposed to. No wonder he loved her so much. Cheater.

“Yeah dad, give him at least five minutes before you make everything awkward.”

Shiro raised his hands in a placating gesture, eyes still covered to preserve his sanity. Matt was a goddamn superhero, seriously. “I promise you it’s okay.”

Sam Holt preened. “See? Shiro is fine with it. Plus, they’re my cheeseburger boxers. Everyone loves cheeseburgers.”

“Oh, I’m so glad you two made i-” Colleen stepped through the kitchen doorway, wiping her hands on a dish towel when she stopped short.

Matt moved his hands from Shiro’s eyes to his ears.

“ _Samuel Christopher Holt, where are your pants!?_ ” Colleen hollered, smacking him with the dishtowel.

Matt snorted as Sam blinked at her, clearly unprepared to be attacked by linens.

“But, honey-“

“Don’t you ‘honey’ me, mister! Get back up there and put on proper clothes!” Her eyes sparked with fire but the blush on her face betrayed her embarrassment.

As Sam stumbled over himself in an attempt to get up the stairs quickly, Colleen turned to Shiro.

“Shiro, my dear, I’m so sorry. We’re normal, I promise.”

Shiro gently moved Matt’s hands from his ears, shooting Colleen one of his most charming smiles. “It’s fine, Mrs. Holt, I don’t mind at all.”

Matt watched in amusement as she blinked at him, clearly unprepared to be attacked by a smile.

“I…oh…” She mumbled, raising her hand to her chest.

Jesus Christ, Shiro had that kind of effect on everyone. It was hilarious.

Also, understandable.

After a moment of awkward silence, Colleen snapped out of it. “That’s Colleen to you, young man,” She admonished, shaking her finger at him. Shiro towered over her, but she was undeterred. “Now, come in, come in! Dinner is almost ready!”

As she bustled back to the kitchen, Matt snickered, “I love watching you bitch slap people in the face with your smile.”

Shiro frowned at him. “I’m not- what?”

Pidge was still patting Bae Bae’s butt. “You kind of do.”

Shiro just sighed, shaking his head.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As everyone sat down for dinner, things started out normal. He should have known that that wouldn’t last with his family.

“Shiro, how are things going at the clinic?”

Matt felt warmth spread through him like a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning as Shiro beamed at his dad. “It’s everything I could have hoped for.”

“I’m just so happy for you two. I’m so glad that you two met,” Colleen said.

Sam laughed, “When we first met you we honestly thought Matt was paying someone off to pretend for him.”

Matt had never heard of someone’s heart actually exploding but he was pretty sure his was seconds away from doing so. Shiro’s fingers twitched where they were gripping his thigh.

Matt giggled anxiously as Shiro took a nervous sip of his drink. “W-why would you think something like that?!”

Pidge snorted.

“Well, look at him,” Sam said, gesturing at Shiro with his fork.

“Dad!?” Matt squawked but he just shrugged at him without any remorse.

Shiro grabbed Matt’s hand, patting it with his prosthetic. “I promise you, Matt means the world to me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Pidge made fake gagging noises almost loud enough to drown out Colleen’s soft coo.

“Can you _please_ not do that while we’re eating?”

Matt gave Pidge a smug smile. “I’m sorry, Pidgeon, when you’re old enough to fall in love you’ll understand.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “I hope I never grow up if it means I’ll be like you.”

“You only wish you could be like me.”

“Why would I wish to be the lesser sibling?”

Matt gasped in mock outrage as Pidge smirked. Before Matt could reply, he was interrupted by Shiro quietly laughing. The two siblings paused in their argument to stare at him.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand. “I’ve just seen that particular smug look on Matt’s face so often, it’s amusing to see it on Pidge’s. It must be a family trait.”

Sam looked ridiculously proud. “That’s the Holt signature look.”

Matt felt himself relax as he took in Shiro’s lingering smile. God, he had it _bad_.

Pretending offence, Matt grumbled as he shoved mashed potatoes in his mouth.

“Did you guys hear about the muggings in the area?” Pidge broke the silence, squirting an insane amount of ketchup on her mashed potatoes.

“This used to be a good neighbourhood,” Sam sighed.

“Makes me scared to walk to my car at night,” Matt said.

“Well, now that you have him I’m sure Shiro could _escort_ you to your car,” Colleen announced, giving Shiro an apologetic smile.

Escort. God dammit, did they fucking _know_!?

“Ah,” Shiro blinked. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”

Matt laughed nervously, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I can take ‘em.”

Was he imagining the knowing looks his parents were giving him? Were they fucking with him? Had he dropped the ball at some point and gave away the secret? He narrowed his eyes at his parents, calculating. He just had to make it through this and then Matt could make an excuse for them to leave.

“Well, at least you know if the veterinarian thing doesn’t work out you’d make a good security guard. People would pay good money for you, I bet.” Sam said, and Matt could swear there was a fucking _gleam_ in his eye.

They _knew_. Somehow, they _knew_.

Well Matt wasn’t going to break, no sir.

After they finished up dinner, everyone moved to the living room as Colleen pulled out a whiteboard. “Can you draw, Shiro?”

Shiro hesitated. “Ah, I’m not the best artist.”

“That’s okay, that makes it more fun!” Sam grinned, pulling out the box for a game of Pictionary because Matt’s parents couldn’t figure out how to join the 21st century. They were long past non-digital games, Jesus.

Colleen claimed Shiro as her partner, which was great because Matt knew how bad Shiro was at drawing. ‘I’m not the best artist’ was a severe understatement. Pidge and Matt were going to destroy them.

Sam sat back to judge everyone because he was awesome like that.

It didn’t take them long to get started and, within minutes, Pidge and Matt were making a fine showing of sibling psychic abilities.

“How did you know what that was?!” Shiro exclaimed, mouth hanging open. “He just drew a line!”

Pidge was radiating with victory. “I can’t help that I’m this smart.”

“It’s a burden, truly,” Matt agreed somberly, giving his sister a high five.

“I’m pretty sure you’re cheating,” Shiro pouted, causing Matt’s heart to stutter in his chest. He better not pull out the puppy dog look, or Matt was doomed.

“I saw no signs of cheating,” Sam declared.

God, his dad was awesome.

“That’s fine, we can beat them, Shiro! Let’s go!” Colleen cut in, giving Shiro a thumbs up.

She had no idea what was coming.

Shiro picked up his card, frowning as he contemplated it. He moved up to the board, marker poised and ready.

“Go!” Sam announced, flipping the hourglass timer.

Shiro started to draw…something? A hat? No…a cat-eared mug? No, wait, what the fuck was that?

Matt watched, amused, as Colleen’s face fell. She’d made a grave error and she knew it. They had this in the bag.

“Chicken! Pasta! Roller coaster! Chainsaw!” Colleen called out desperately.

Shiro frowned. Yeah, those were all very, very different looking things. Shiro turned back to the board, drawing a sloppy dollar sign and circling it.

“Um,” Colleen paused, squinting at the drawing. It now looked kind of like an octopus? Where did money come into that though? “Oh! Uh, a…a…prostitute! Escort!”

Shiro dropped his marker.

Matt felt himself lose ten years of his life.

“Mom, this is a family friendly game! Why would they have that in it!?” He yelped, covering his eyes. How was this his life?

“Well, I don’t know, I’m just guessing.”

 _Just guessing_. Uh huh, sure.

The game went on for another hour, but it was clear from the beginning that Shiro was an absolute disaster and there was no way anyone was going to figure out what the hell he was drawing. Matt and Pidge wiped the floor with them and were not afraid to boast about it.

Shiro laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Yeah, my brother got all the artistic talent in our household.”

Colleen smiled as she packed away the game. “How old is your brother?”

“He’s almost nineteen.”

“Ah, to be that young again,” Sam said wistfully, adjusting his glasses. “Is he going to school?”

The tips of Shiro’s ears went pink. “Uh, yes. University.”

Pidge noticed his reticence and she tilted her head. “What is he taking?”

Shiro sighed, looking up at the ceiling as a shit-eating grin spread across Matt’s face.

“Yeah, love bug, tell them what he’s taking.”

Shiro mumbled something quietly to the ceiling.

“What was that?” Colleen asked, leaning forward.

“P-paranormal sciences…”

Colleen and Sam blinked simultaneously.

“Yes, Shiro’s brother is hoping to catch Mothman,” Matt cackled. Just the thought of it brought a tear to his eye. He had yet to meet Shiro’s little brother, but he couldn’t wait to tease the hell out of him for his wild theories. Apparently, studying the paranormal meant a lot of travelling, so he hadn’t been around for Matt to get to know him.

Honestly, he couldn’t wait.

“Well, that’s an admirable goal,” Colleen said diplomatically, tucking the Pictionary box away.

“Are your parents upset at his career choice?” Pidge asked, looking intrigued. Oh fuck, he’d forgotten she was into wild conspiracy theories herself. She would probably become fast friends with Keith.

Shiro shook his head. “It’s just been Keith and I since I was eighteen and he was eleven.”

There was a moment of silence. Matt could see his parents automatically shifting to adoption mode. Shiro was quickly going to become their favourite son, he knew it.

He couldn’t really find it in himself to be upset about it.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Sam said sadly, patting Shiro on the shoulder. “I’m sure your parents would have been proud.”

If Shiro’s smile was strained, the others didn’t know him well enough to notice. It was probably for the best that his parents just assumed Shiro’s family was dead. It was easier than explaining the truth.

Matt kind of wished they were dead. It would be less than they deserved.

“Well, now that we’ve sufficiently brought down the mood, how about some dessert?” Colleen announced, clapping her hands together.

They were just moving back into the kitchen when Shiro’s cell phone went off.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I need to take this, it’s work.” He quickly moved out of the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind him.

Matt slumped down into his chair at the table.

“So, Matt,” Sam started, his tone teasing and- oh, no. No. They were going to bring it up. They were going to say _it_.

“ALRIGHT, FINE!” Matt yelled, his chair scraping loudly on the floor as he stood up. “I’m just going to go ahead and say it. Shiro used to be an escort! And you know what? He was a fucking phenomenal one too. And I don’t give a _shit_ what you think about it. That’s what you wanted to hear, yeah?”

The room was so quiet Matt could hear Bae Bae’s soft snores from the living room.

Colleen and Sam gaped at Matt liked he’d just whipped his pants off and danced the macarena on the table.

They’d known, hadn’t they?

Hadn’t they?

Shit.

“I _knew_ it,” Pidge whispered.

“I mean-”

“He was an escort?” Colleen murmured, looking concerned.

Matt grimaced, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

“I just-”

“Is he okay?” Sam asked, eyes moving to the door Shiro had exited out of.

Matt slammed his hand on the table, causing cutlery to clatter to the floor. “Don’t-”

“Matt-" Colleen started but Matt shook his head vehemently.

“He’s a survivor, dammit! You have no idea what he’s been through.” Frustrated, Matt ran his hand through his hair. When was he going to learn to control his damn mouth? “He and Keith were taken in by his grandmother because…because of abusive parents.”

Colleen’s hand rose to cover her mouth.

“Their grandmother died when Shiro was eighteen and shortly after that he was hit by a drunk driver and lost his arm. He needed enough money to pay for the medical bills, funeral and for Keith. So, he did what he had to do, okay? And I don’t judge him for it. His life was shit and he turned it into this. He’s a goddamn inspiration.”

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but everyone stopped as Shiro pushed back through the door.

“Ah, sorry, one of my assistants locked himself out of the clinic. I need to head back and-” He paused, sensing the tension in the room. “Is everything okay?”

There was an awkward silence, the calm before the storm.

Shiro frowned.

As one, both Colleen and Sam launched themselves at Shiro, squishing him between them in a tight hug as they sobbed.

“Shiro, we support you!” Colleen wailed, pressing her cheek into Shiro’s chest.

Oh my God, mom.

“If there’s ever anything you need, we’re here for you. You’re like family now.” Sam rumbled, sniffing loudly and probably getting snot all over Shiro’s shirt.

Matt ran his hand down his face as Shiro shot him an alarmed look.

This was going to take some explaining.

“So, you _did_ pay someone to date you,” Pidge cackled.

He was never going to hear the end of that.

Hopefully Shiro wouldn’t be too pissed at him.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m so sorry, Shiro. I was just taking out the trash and when I came back the door was locked,” Hunk said morosely, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. “I swear I don’t know how it locked. I don’t even have the key with me.”

Shiro smiled, putting his hand on Hunk’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It happens.”

“But I ruined your night! I’m so sorry! I was going to call Ulaz but he had already left early to catch his flight and I didn’t want to bother him when he clearly trusted me to close up without him and I just-“

Shiro could practically feel Matt’s growing amusement as Hunk continued to babble on anxiously.

“Well, you saved us at the perfect moment, Hunk. Awkward family dinners, you know how it is,” Matt grinned, giving the assistant a wink.

Hunk’s shoulders drooped even further than Shiro thought possible. “Oh God, I interrupted a family dinner!?”

“Okay, okay, everyone calm down. It’s fine, we’re here. Let’s close this up. Hunk, we’ll give you a ride home.”

“Okay,” Hunk mumbled dejectedly.

Shiro pulled out his own set of keys. Now that he thought about it, how did Hunk lock the door without the key? As he held the door open for the other two to shuffle into the building, Shiro frowned, eyes scanning the surrounding area. The parking lot was dark and empty, aside from Matt’s car parked near the front door.

An uneasy feeling brushed past him, sending the hairs on the back of his neck tingling. With one last look at the parking lot, Shiro entered the building.

He just missed the camera flash behind him.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The surgery was successful, Mr. Kwon,” Shiro smiled as his patient’s owner sagged with relief. “I’d like her to stay here overnight so we can keep an eye on her and make sure she isn’t reacting negatively to the antibiotics. I am hopeful Poptart will be able to go home tomorrow.”

“Oh, thank you so much Dr. Shirogane.” Mr. Kwon shook his hand vigorously with both of his. “It’s a relief to know she’s in good hands. I’ll be sure to tell all my friends about the charity auction coming up.”

“We’re glad to help.” Shiro led the man to his office door, opening it and gesturing him through. “Please speak to Hunk about setting up a time to pick her up tomorrow. I’ll be in touch if it looks like she’ll need to stay.”

Shiro closed the door quietly behind the grateful owner, taking a moment to rub his eyes tiredly. It had been a long week. The other veterinarian at this clinic, Ulaz, was currently away on his honeymoon and so Shiro was working double to cover all their patients. Thankfully, Ulaz was due back soon and Shiro would be able to get some sleep.

He shuffled back over to his desk, filling out the remaining paperwork for Poptart’s surgery. It had gone well, and he was certain she would be back home in no time.

There was a quiet knock on his door.

“Come in,” He called out, running his hand through his hair.

“Shiro?” Hunk murmured, poking his head in the door. “There’s a…man here to see you.”

Shiro blinked at the awkward pause and the nervous tilt to Hunk’s mouth. “Is everything okay?”

Hunk hesitated, nervously fumbling with the folder he was holding. “I tried to tell him we were closed for the day, but he insisted. Uh, the guy is making the animals nervous and he seems a little…” he trailed off, looking uncertain.

Shiro’s lips thinned to a grim line. This sounded like trouble.

“I’ll be right there.”

Hunk beamed at him before closing the door with a gentle click.

Shiro tucked his paperwork neatly into his desk drawer, closing it up and locking it with the key attached to his hip. He adjusted his scrubs and stepped out into the lobby. Hunk was nervously sweeping the floor of various animal hair while shooting looks at their visitor’s back. Shiro stepped towards the man only to freeze when he turned around.

“Zarkon,” Shiro managed to choke out, dread creeping up on him like a panther ready to pounce.

_The room was tilting around him as if he’d spent the last hour on the tea cup ride at Disneyland. He struggled to stand, not even reacting as he knocked cutlery to the floor. Alarm bells rang in his head signalling danger, danger, DANGER._

_“Let me help you to the bed.” Large hands grasped his bicep and Shiro flinched, sluggishly trying to pull away._

_“No…” He slurred, stumbling over empty air as a few more figures seemed to materialize out of the darkness creeping around his vision. “Stop.”_

_“It’s fine, just relax.”_

_Hands, more than he could count, pulled at his clothes. A button popped off his shirt with the strain, the ping as it hit the floor disturbingly loud. Lips captured his own, forceful and demanding, tongue pushing into his mouth._

_He needed to get out of here._

“Shiro,” Zarkon greeted him, the picture of innocence as he took a few steps closer, tearing Shiro away from memories of that night.

“Why are you here?”

Zarkon took a step closer and Shiro tensed, muscles tight as his eyes sparked with dark fire. Zarkon paused at the look on his face.

“I have a proposition for you,” he smiled, gesturing towards Shiro’s office. “Perhaps we could speak privately?”

Shiro’s mind raced as he took in Zarkon. The man was impeccably dressed, probably just returning from an important meeting. Shiro wasn’t sure of his exact position, but he knew he was some sort of high-ranking politician. He’d been a frequent client of Shiro’s, along with his wife Haggar.

Until it had all gone down the drain.

Regardless, there was no way Zarkon would do something stupid in the middle of a veterinarian clinic.

Shiro gave Zarkon a polite smile. “Sure, why don’t you step into my office?” He glanced at Hunk as Zarkon nodded graciously, sauntering past Shiro and letting his shoulder graze his lightly enough to be considered an accident. “I’ll be out to help you close up as soon as I’m done here.”

Hunk’s face was frozen in a look of deep concern, but he nodded sharply, returning to sweeping the floor.

The kid knew something was up. Shiro had only known Hunk for a short time, but he knew he could count on him to do the right thing if this went sideways.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro returned to his office.

Zarkon was standing, hands clasped behind his back, staring at Shiro’s graduation certificate. “You’ve done well for yourself.”

“I have, but that also means I have a lot of work to do. If you could please get to the point, I have sick animals to take care of.”

Zarkon chuckled, turning to grace Shiro with an indulgent smile. “If only your happy clients knew what you did to get here.”

Shiro remained silent. He wasn’t ashamed of his past. He’d do it all over again in a heartbeat in exchange for keeping Keith at his side, whole and healthy. But Zarkon didn’t need to know that.

I’ll get straight to the point, then.” Zarkon stepped towards him and let his hand rest on Shiro’s desk, inches away from the framed photo of Matt sleeping on Champion. “I heard the animal shelter you volunteer with is looking for some funds.”

Shiro blinked. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t that.

“An auction fundraiser, wasn’t it?” Zarkon leered, eyes raking over Shiro’s body as he moved closer. “A worthy cause, for a man in my position.”

It made sense. Politicians would often dole out large sums of cash for charities and other similar organizations in an attempt to curry favour with voters. Giving money to an animal shelter well loved by the community would certainly help his image.

The question was, what did he want in exchange?

“I could see myself doing you this favour,” Zarkon paused, close enough that Shiro could see the yellow specks in his irises. “If you rescind your testimony against me and we continue where we left off.”

_Hands in his hair, pulling and twisting, sending a spike of pain through his scalp. Memories he’d locked deep down, so deep he could pretend they weren’t even there, clawed at his eyes like zombies bursting through the dirt and mud, sinking into his skin like an old tattoo, never to be removed; a constant reminder of what his mother had done to hi-_

_No. Not that. Not again._

_Shiro bit down on the tongue exploring his mouth, heart soaring at the cry of pain and taste of copper on his lips._

_He was getting out of here._

Shiro straightened his shoulders, refusing to back down. “I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request.”

Matt would be so proud of him right now.

Zarkon raised an eyebrow. “I think you underestimate how much money we’re talking about here.”

Shiro shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”

Zarkon showed the first sign of frustration, lips thinning into an angry line. “You can’t turn away from me.” He leaned forward but Shiro refused to budge. He wasn’t going to be intimidated by the taller man.

“The answer is still ‘no’.”

Zarkon sneered, grabbing Shiro’s jaw hard enough to bruise. “Once a whore, always a whore.” He spat, fingernails digging into the soft flesh of his cheek. “Who wants used merchandise? Who would want someone like you?”

“Me,” A voice, low with rage, snarled. Zarkon whirled only to come face-to-face with an enraged Matt, golden brown eyes dark with fury. “Don’t you fucking touch him again.”

Matt launched himself at the larger man and punched him right in the face. There was an audible crunch, blood speckling Matt’s shirt as Zarkon stumbled back with a howl of pain.

“Matt!”

“I’m calling the police!” Hunk yelped from the doorway, rushing back into the lobby.

“ _Enough_!” Zarkon commanded, voice echoing through the small room. “I rescind my offer. Good luck getting the funds you’ll need.”

Matt watched him stalk from the room. “Good luck getting a new nose, asshat! I did you a fucking favour, you piece of shit!”

As soon as he heard the front door slam shut, Shiro let himself relax. He moved towards Matt, eyes scanning him for injuries. “Are you okay?”

Matt blinked as if he was only just now registering any pain. “Ow, fuck!” He massaged his hand. “I had no idea punching someone in the face would hurt that much. Why do people do that?”

Shiro smiled, “Because it’s worth it in the end.”

Matt paused, considering. “Hell yeah it was. Did you see his face? Hope his nose swells up enough to match his ego.” Matt’s smug grin turned somber. “Are you okay, though?”

Shiro pulled Matt in close, tugging him into a hug. He hadn’t realized how fast his heart was pounding until he had Matt in his arms. He clutched at Matt's shirt to hide how his hands were trembling. “I am now that you’re here.”

Matt returned the embrace, pressing closer to Shiro. “He was wrong, you know,” he said softly, letting his fingers run through Shiro’s undercut. He always seemed to like the feel of it.

Shiro leaned back, heart warm and so, so full. “I know,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to familiar lips.  

“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt but I called the police and they’re in the lobby…” Hunk’s voice whispered from the doorway.

Shiro sighed, pulling back.

“A-and I just want you to know that if that guy ever comes back I’m gonna show him whose boss,” Hunk rambled, fiddling with the hem of his scrubs. “And by ‘show him whose boss’ I mean that I will call the authorities and not incite violence.”

Yeah, Hunk was the sensible one here.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt shuffled sleepily into the kitchen, rubbing the crusty dust from his eyes. Strudel perched on his head, scratching lightly at his scalp in a way that felt quite nice. He paused by the fridge.

“Strudel, where’s your brother?!” Matt suddenly exclaimed, looking around wildly. The two of them were almost never apart. Where-

Champion padded into the kitchen with a quiet ‘woof’, catching his attention.

“Oh.” Matt groaned, laughing as he picked up Danish from the tangle of fur on Champion’s head. The rat’s nose twitched as Matt held him up to his face. “Were you out for a ride?”

Carefully, he let him settle into the hood of his sweater. Strudel climbed down Matt’s ponytail to join his brother.

As he contemplated the contents of the fridge, there was an insistent knock at the door. Champion gave a lazy ‘woof’ from the floor.

Who the _fuck_ was visiting them at…eleven in the morning?

Okay, maybe Matt’s sense of time was skewed beyond all reason.

As Matt headed towards the door, the knocking became more insistent. Jesus, whoever the hell it was needed to calm the f-train down.

Matt yanked the door open to glare at their guest.

A young man with intense, dark eyes stared back at him beneath furrowed brows. His black hair was pulled back into a tiny ponytail, though most of it had escaped to frame his admittedly beautiful face. He was wearing a dark leather jacket that looked a bit too big on him and the tightest pair of stylishly torn jeans Matt had ever seen. How the hell did he even move in those!?

Matt blinked stupidly at the man. “Who-“

“Move,” The stranger growled, shoving past Matt and into their apartment like he owned the place.

What. The actual. Fuck?

Before Matt could say anything, Champion was already barrelling towards the man and- oh _fuck_ this was going to be a disaster! Champion did not like strangers and Shiro was going to be so upset if he bit someone, even if that someone had basically forced himself into their home without approval and blood was so hard to get out of the carpet, like, seriously-

The man didn’t seem surprised by the giant dog/small bear launching itself at him. Instead, he braced himself for impact and caught the dog, spinning in place so that he wouldn’t be knocked down from the weight. He was laughing as he lowered Champion to the floor, petting him fondly as the dog licked at his face excitedly.

“Who the hell are you?” Matt asked, hand still on the doorknob.

The stranger gave Matt an unimpressed look. “Shiro said you were smart.”

Matt blinked, processing. “Keith?”

“That’s me.”

Oh. Oh!

Oh no.

No.

Matt wasn’t _prepared_. He’d expected some geeky paranormal otaku, complete with night vision goggles and EMF readers or whatever. Not this…this…sexy biker dude. He should have _known_ anyone related to Shiro would be smoking hot.

Not fair.

Matt closed the door with his foot. “I, uh, Shiro didn’t tell me you were coming.”

Keith carelessly removed his kickass leather boots, tossing them by the door. Okay, so he didn’t quite pick up Shiro’s obsessive orderly tendencies. That was interesting. “Shiro doesn’t know I’m here.”

“Okay.” Matt waited for him to elaborate, but Keith just stared at him. Did this kid not know how to socialize like a normal person? “Shiro won’t be home for another few hours.”

“I know.”

Matt nervously tapped his foot. What was he supposed to say? ‘Why are you here then’ seemed kind of rude and Matt didn’t want to piss off Shiro’s little brother. Everyone and their mother knew Shiro would do _anything_ for this kid and Matt really didn’t want to come between that. He wanted to be on as good terms with Keith as Shiro was with Pidge.

“Right,” Matt said slowly, taking a few more steps into the room. “Well, would you like something to dri-“

Keith stalked forward, getting right up into Matt’s face. Matt backed up against the wall, hands up to protect his beautiful face. Strudel and Danish squeaked, poking their heads over his shoulders.

“I doubt I have to say it but just in case you need to hear it: if you hurt him, I will personally hunt you down and eviscerate you. They won’t even recognize your body. Understand?”

Matt nodded his head vigorously. “Crystal clear. Better than crystal…like, clearer than the water in tourism ads for Hawaii. Not that I’ve really looked at them, Hawaii is too hot for me, but I-”

Keith cut him off with a glare.

“Right. Aren’t you supposed to be the little brother?”

“I heard about what happened at the clinic,” Keith said, voice low.

“Oh, um, how did you hear about tha-“

“My boyfriend is friends with Hunk. He told me all about that fucking asshole. If that piece of shit thinks he can hurt Shiro again, he better be prepared. I’ll destroy him.”

Matt gave him a serious look. “You’ll have to get in line.”

Keith searched his eyes, scanning him for _something_ , Matt wasn’t too sure. After a moment, he seemed satisfied. He leaned back, giving Matt some much needed space.

“Shiro’s too quick to use himself as a shield to protect others. It’s a skill he learned a long time ago.” Keith paused, looking uncomfortable before giving Matt a determined look. “That means we’ll have to watch out for him.”

Matt laughed. “You couldn’t tear my eyes off of him, even if I wanted you to.” He winked, showing Keith his bruised knuckles. “Maybe you could show me how to punch someone without hurting myself this time?”

Keith’s eyes were bright with approval. “Yeah, I think I can help you with that.”

Matt beamed.

“And just remember how good I am at it if you decide to hurt Shiro.”

Jesus. Keith might have taken all the artistic talent, but Shiro got all of the soft, sweet personality traits.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Shiro opened the door to a war zone.

His eyes widened in horror as he took in what was supposed to be his living room. It looked like a large hoard of hippos had decided to run through his living room and destroy everything. He didn’t even get a chance to panic about thieves or to wonder if Matt was okay because immediately his eyes settled on the two other occupants of the room.

Matt and Keith, and Shiro would wonder why the hell he was here later, were crowded around a makeshift monstrosity and…punching it?

“No, no, no if you punch like that you’ll dislocate your thumb,” Keith admonished, grabbing Matt’s hand and adjusting it. “Did you punch like that last time?”

“I wasn’t really thinking clearly, just that I wanted to break his face.”

“I like your enthusiasm.“

Shiro really didn’t want to deal with this right now. Was it so much to ask that people clean up after themselves? Did they not think before they did this crap? He pinched the bridge of his nose. “There is a perfectly serviceable punching bag in the gym downstairs. Why in the world did you think to try and make one?”

Keith and Matt both jumped simultaneously. Keith gave him a guilty look, but Matt was completely shameless.

The brunette leaned towards Keith. “I love that he thinks I’ve ever stepped foot in that gym,” he said with a stage whisper.

Shiro sighed. He dropped his keys on the table more forcefully than he intended, taking off his jacket with jerky movements. He really needed to get out of here before he said something he would regret. He didn’t want to be grumpy when he hadn’t seen Keith in months.

He was already in a bad mood thanks to the bouquet of flowers Zarkon had had shipped to his clinic. Lance, who was visiting with Hunk, had taken one look at it and frowned, clearly uneasy with the display. When Shiro had asked him about it, he had explained that his grandpa was a florist and in the language of flowers, it was the most disturbing bouquet he had ever seen.

Nasturtium for conquest. Red poppies for pleasure. Pink camellias for longing. All nestled in a bed of grass for submission.

It was not a comforting gesture.

To make matters worse, he didn’t send just one bouquet, oh no. He’d sent fifty.

Shiro had dumped them in the trash out back so he wouldn’t have to look at them.

He kind of wished he’d set them on fire.

Shiro could see Matt and Keith exchange a nervous glance out of the corner of his eye as he kicked off his shoes. They thumped loudly against the door, increasing his anger irrationally.

“Shiro-” Matt started, but his mouth clamped shut as Shiro cut him off with a raised hand.

“I’m going to have a shower,” Shiro said simply, turning to glare at them. “This mess,” he gestured sharply to the room. “Better be gone when I come back.”

Keith and Matt nodded frantically as Shiro headed for the bathroom. Champion bounded after him, but he stopped short at Shiro’s sharp command of ‘stay’.

He was in one of those moods where he recognized that he was being a bit of a jerk but also couldn’t stop himself. It didn’t help to improve his temper.

After having a nice, long shower and changing into a pair of loose sweatpants and a t-shirt, Shiro was feeling a bit more human. Matt and Keith had managed to clean up much of the living room so at least it didn’t look like a family of tornadoes had decided to make it their home.

“Matt ordered in some Greek food so we’re just waiting for it to-” Keith started as Shiro padded into the room. He stopped as Shiro shuffled over to him and pulled him into a hug.

“I’m sorry I’m being an ass. It’s nice to see you,” Shiro mumbled into his hair, smiling as Keith returned the hug fiercely.

“I’m sorry we made a mess, we just got a bit too into it.”

“And now I can punch Zarkon with much more pizazz!” Matt grinned from the couch, looking way too eager at the prospect.

“Please don’t, you wouldn’t survive prison,” Shiro said, gesturing for Matt to shove over so he could sit on the couch.

Matt gasped in mock outrage, lazily lifting his feet and then resting them on Shiro’s lap once he sat down. “Excuse me, I would be _amazing_ at prison. I’d be in charge in no time.”

“If you say so.”

“I don’t like your tone, mister.”

“ _Anyway_ , Keith, I wasn’t expecting you back for another month or so.”

Keith’s lips twitched into a small smile from his spot on the floor. Champion was sprawled across his lap, nearly blocking Keith completely from view with his bulk. “There was an error with the airline and we were forced to return early. I’ll be staying with Lance for the next little while. I thought I would surprise you and also let your boyfriend know his place.”

Shiro groaned, face reddening at the thought of Keith giving Matt the shovel talk.

“He really did,” Matt said, nodding his head earnestly. “I am thoroughly terrified of him now and also disappointed that you didn’t tell me your little brother was a delinquent.”

“I’m not a delinquent.”

Matt peered at him. “You look like one.”

“Okay, okay, enough,” Shiro said, trying to cover up his amusement.

“I’m just upset that I got the shovel talk from your little brother when Katie hasn’t done anything to protect my honour.”

Shiro froze.

Matt stared at him. “Shiro…?”

“Um, she might have…warned me.”

Matt moved his feet from Shiro’s lap, sitting up straight. “Seriously? You never said!”

“I might have blocked it from my memory to preserve my sanity.”

Matt cackled in delight. “Yeah, that sounds about right. What did she do?”

Shiro shuddered at the memory of hundreds of pictures of mutilated members Pidge had somehow managed to bombard his computer with one Sunday night, complete with a warning that that would be his fate if he ever hurt her brother.

The pictures and messages had disappeared by the next morning without a trace.

What had been seen could never be unseen.

“Shit, must have been bad.” Matt’s eyebrows shot up at the undoubtedly haunted look in Shiro’s eyes.

He never wanted to be on Pidge’s bad side.

Ever.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt snuggled in closer to Shiro as he perused his tablet. There was something wrong in this algorithm and he couldn’t figure it out. It was driving him crazy. Maybe if he transferred it to Pidge she could take another look at it? She wouldn’t tease him over something like this, though, would she? Bribing her with a juicy code should be enough to help with that. What if-

Shiro huffed out a sigh and tightened his arm around Matt’s waist. “Stop thinking and take a break,” he mumbled sleepily.

Matt refused to look away from the tablet. Wait, was that it? This bit of code seemed off…

“Matt,” Shiro groaned, pressing his face into Matt’s neck and causing a shiver to roll down his spine. “I can hear you thinking from over here.”

Matt sighed, flopping his head onto the pillow and letting his tablet fall to the floor. “Fine, fine, I’ll get back to cuddling you. But I’m not sleepy, you need to entertain me.”

Shiro’s eyes were still closed but he tugged Matt even closer. “No. Sleep.”

Matt smiled, pressing a kiss to Shiro’s temple. “It’s one in the afternoon, I’m not tired.”

“Nap.”

Matt rolled over so he was face-to-face with his boyfriend. Shiro’s fringe was a tangled mess, his face smooshed into the pillow as he breathed slowly. He was on the edge of sleep. Shiro taking a nap was unusual, but he had been working a lot lately. The stress of helping organize the charity fundraiser was not helping either.

He really should let him sleep.

But he couldn’t help himself when Shiro was looking so damn delectable.

“Shiro, what’s the most someone has paid for your services?”

Shiro frowned, considering.

“There was a guy that bought me a Maserati.”

Matt nearly fell out of the bed. “Are you serious!?”

Shiro smiled sleepily. “I told him not to, but he did it anyway. Some people wanted to keep me for their own, but I wasn’t really interested in that.” 

“Why not?”

“I’m not stupid, I’m not going to be young forever. What do you think they’d do when I got too old for them? They’d just dump me for someone else. Then I’d be left with no life skills and no money.”

This was true. Shiro was definitely a long-term thinker.

Matt gasped dramatically, “Shiro, should _I_ buy you a Maserati!?”

Shiro snorted. “I don’t need a Maserati, Matt.”

“Yeah, well, I could buy you like, ten Maseratis.”

Shiro popped one eye open. “Are you seriously trying to compete with some guy that wanted to be my sugar daddy?”

Well, when he put it that way.

Matt waggled his eyebrows at his gorgeous boyfriend. “It’s fine, I know you don’t want fancy cars or expensive jewellery. I know what you _really_ want.”

Shiro gave him an amused look. “And what is that?”

“I’ll buy you all the ice cream and cute, baby animal calendars you could want, baby.”

Shiro groaned, snuggling deeper into his pillow. “That actually sounds amazing. You win.”

God, Matt was so gay for him. Like, super gay.

“Shiroooo,” Matt whispered, running his fingers through Shiro’s fringe. “When did you realize you liked men?”

Shiro hummed quietly and for a moment, Matt thought he wasn’t going to answer.

“Around the same time as everyone else, I guess.” Shiro finally replied, tilting his head so Matt could run his fingers down his scalp. “Fourteen or fifteen, I think.”

Matt laughed, “I was twelve, but to be fair I was bumped up an extra grade. You know, because I’m so smart.”

Shiro’s soft smile made Matt’s heart skip a beat.

“Of course, it took me until sixteen to lose my v-card. Young me was such a dork.”

“You still are,” he mumbled, voice thick with slumber.

Shiro sighed contentedly as Matt tangled their legs together. He was so close to falling asleep, Matt was surprised he was still talking.

“You’re so mean to me! How old were you when you lost yours?”

“Ten.”

As soon as it left his mouth, Shiro froze, eyes snapping open in alarm. It took Matt’s brain a moment to realize the implications of what Shiro had just said. Shiro seemed to take his silence as a bad sign and was up and out of the bed before Matt could stop him.

“Shiro-”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I-” Shiro cut himself off, looking lost. “I understand if this is a problem f-”

“Shiro-”

“You already put up with a lot from my past. I can’t-”

“Shiro, seriously-”

“I’m just going to go-”

“Takashi!” Matt barked, scrambling out of the bed with all the grace of a dog wearing little winter booties. He winced internally as Shiro’s back went ramrod straight, tense and stiff.

In the back of Matt’s head, he knew whatever he did next would affect the course of their relationship forever. He did _not_ want to fuck this up. Quietly, Matt shuffled towards Shiro, letting his forehead rest against his rigid back muscles.

“Can you tell me about it?”

Shiro twitched, but he didn’t move towards the door and Matt considered that a win. After a moment, Shiro’s body relaxed. He turned slowly, letting himself sink onto the edge of the bed. His hands clenched and unclenched on his lap. Matt held his breath, waiting.

“You’re right,” Shiro sighed, letting his head droop forward. “It’s best that you know everything before we…before this relationship goes any further. You deserve to know.”

Matt frowned. “Shiro, you don’t have to say anything unless you want to. It’s not going to change anything.”

“I-” Shiro let out a slow gust of breath through his nose. “I want you to know. It’s just-” He cut himself off, shaking his head.

As if sensing Shiro’s discomfort, Champion came bounding into the room. He awkwardly hopped up onto the bed, taking up nearly the entire thing with his bulk. He forced his nose under Shiro’s arm, settling his head in his lap and looking up at him imploringly.

Jesus Christ, that dog was adorable.

Shiro huffed out a wet sounding laugh, fingers running gently down Champion’s back.

“Keith and I aren’t actually blood related. It was just him and his dad since he was a baby. It was just me and my mom since I was five. I don’t know who my dad is, but Keith’s dad and my mom got together when I was eight. They weren’t a good match. Our parents were just the kind of people that didn’t like being alone. When Keith’s dad died firefighting, my mom-” He paused, fingers gripping Champion’s thick fur. “She didn’t take it well.”

Matt moved over to the bed to sink down on Champion’s other side, the dog’s warmth soothing in the chilly room.

“She started doing drugs. Pretty sure she was selling herself,” Shiro said, glancing over at Matt but he looked away before Matt could meet his eyes. “She was always angry, always looking for her next fix, always…violent. I guess she wasn’t making enough money selling herself so…she sold me.”

Rage settled in Matt’s gut, searing through his skin like molten fire. For all his genius, he just couldn’t understand how someone could do that to their own kid. Addiction was a nasty illness, but…

“She only resorted to it a few times, but-” Shiro cut himself off, finally looking over at Matt. Matt wondered what Shiro would consider ‘a few times’. “You have to understand, I was terrified that if I didn’t do it she’d use Keith instead. He was only three years old. I couldn’t-”

Matt was up and kneeling at Shiro’s feet, hands grasping his knees as he looked up at him imploringly. “And you were only ten. Shiro, you don’t have to justify anything. None of it was your fault, okay? I’m just glad you got out of there.”

Shiro’s lips twitched. “Grandma Shirogane saved my life.”

“She sounds like a badass grandma, seriously. If she were still around, I would give her the biggest fucking hug right now.” Matt’s fingers tightened on Shiro’s knee. “Shiro, I need you to know that your past? It was a nightmare, I can see that. But it shaped you into who you are today. I can’t change what happened then, but I wouldn’t change who you are now for anything.”

Shiro’s eyes were bright as he blinked away tears. “Not even for that limited-edition Star Wars Deathstar replica?”

Matt laughed, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s neck. “Not even for that, honey bear. You’re stuck with me.”

Shiro pressed his forehead to Matt’s. “Can I kiss you right now?”

Matt scoffed. “Dude, if you don’t do it I’m gonna-”

Shiro pressed forward, catching Matt’s mouth in a heated kiss. Matt leaned into it, pushing Shiro until he fell back onto the bed. He crawled up after him, straddling his hips between his thighs. He gripped Shiro’s fringe, the only part of his hair long enough to grasp, tugging his head back forcefully and eliciting a pleased hiss from his partner. Matt’s lips were feverish as they lapped at Shiro’s throat, nipping and sucking and _tasting_ him. Shiro’s hands slid up his shirt, fingers scraping desperately at the sensitive skin of Matt’s back and sending searing heat straight to his dick.

Matt pulled back just slightly, Shiro’s breath hot on his lips. He pressed Shiro’s hands into the mattress above his head, lacing their fingers together and holding them there as he let his eyes roam all over that toned body. Shiro’s eyes were dark with arousal, a red hickey already blossoming on his neck. He was gorgeous.

“I love everything about you, Shiro.” He sucked on Shiro’s bottom lip, revelling in the moan that rumbled up from Shiro’s gut and the fingers tightening in his grip. “Everything.” He panted, pulling at Shiro’s shirt and nearly tearing it in his desperation.

“M-matt-”

“Your smile,” He kissed the edge of that beautiful mouth. “Your kindness,” He mapped a trail of kisses down Shiro’s bared chest, fire searing through his skin as Shiro arched into him. “Your stubborn determination to stay bright even after the world has given you nothing but shit.”

“ _Ah_ , Matt-” Shiro gasped, bucking into him. His face was red from embarrassment at Matt’s relentless praise, but he just couldn’t _stop_ , drunk on the feel of soft skin and corded muscles.

Matt ground down into him, eyes sliding shut at that delicious friction as he plundered Shiro’s mouth, messy and wet and so fucking hot. “You’re a fucking survivor and I love you.”

Shiro’s fingers carded through Matt’s long hair, swallowing up Matt’s moan as he did that thing with his tongue that drove Matt over the edge. His heart somersaulted in his chest, heat leaving his skin tingling wherever they touched. He couldn’t get enough of this, couldn’t get enough of _him_ -

“Matt, I-” Shiro cut off with a whimper as Matt’s mouth captured one pert nipple, lavishing it with his tongue just as much as he had Shiro with his words.

“Tell me what you want, babe, I’ll give it to you,” Matt said, voice husky and deep and barely holding on.

“ _Ah…”_  

Matt’s hand went down, down, fingers curling around him but not quite grasping. “I need you to say it, ‘Kashi, anything you want.”

Shiro’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to speak. “I-”

Champion whimpered from beside them and they both paused, turning to look at the enormous dog. Oops, Matt had forgotten he was there. The dog’s head was tilted sideways, staring at them shamelessly.

Matt groaned, slumping forward over Shiro as the other man burst out laughing.

“Shiro, don’t let your dog cock block me.”

“He can’t help it, he gets jealous.”

Matt glared at Champion, but the dog just wagged his tail excitedly.

Dammit. Matt couldn’t stay mad at him.

Shiro’s body shook as his laughter intensified at the look on Matt’s face. Matt tried to hold it in place, but eventually his mouth betrayed him. He started snickering. He couldn’t stay angry when Shiro was smiling so stunningly. “Don’t laugh at me! I’m mad at him!”

Shiro wiped a tear from his eye. “I’m sorry, I can just guarantee you I’ve had that exact look on my face before when he does something bad and I can’t bring myself to admonish him.” 

Matt pouted.

Still chuckling, Shiro sat up. “Champion, go lay down.”

Champion gave them both a look, but he obediently hopped off the bed with a loud thump, nails scraping against the floor as he padded out to his own bed.

“Well, now the mood is gone,” Matt sighed, flopping back onto the pillows.

Shiro shot him a mischievous grin. He barricaded Matt between his arms, basically doing a push-up on the bed to press their lips together. His body was warm against his as Shiro rolled his hips and whispered in Matt’s ear. “I’ll tell you what I want. I want _you_.”

“Oh look, the mood is back,” Matt smirked as Shiro pulled back.

“Good, because I need to show you how much I love you too.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

And, oh boy, did he show him.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Thanks for all your help, Dr. Shirogane. This fundraiser is going to be the best one yet,” Romelle smiled, giving Shiro a rib-cracking hug.

“I really think we have a chance of reaching our goal this year,” Shay agreed, eyes bright.

Shiro patted Romelle on the head as he attempted to catch his breath. He’d been volunteering at this shelter since he was twenty, and the volunteers here were some of the most amazing people he knew.

He really hoped the fundraiser would be a success.

Shiro bid the other two good bye, rubbing his tired eyes as he made his way to his car. The fundraiser was that weekend, and by this point he just wanted to get it over with. Once they knew how much cash they were getting, they could get around to doling it out appropriately throughout the year. The building really needed a new roof, already it was several years past its prime. He didn’t want to have to deal with a collapse on top of everything else.

As he neared his car, Shiro groaned. The front driver’s side window was smashed, tiny bits of broken glass blanketed the ground. It was all over the interior as well, scratching up the console and clogging up the cup holder.

Really? At least he didn’t keep any valuables in there.

As Shiro turned back around to go and get a broom, he bumped into someone.

“Oh, sorr-”

The person pushed Shiro back, pressing him up against his car. Glass dug into his back, slicing through his shirt and cutting into his skin. He hissed in pain.

Before Shiro could push the body back, lips descended on his, so forceful it caused his head to bang into his car. Hands gripped his wrists tightly, pressing them into the door behind him.

Shiro jerked his head to the side, gasping for breath as the unwanted intrusion disappeared. Growling, Shiro brought his knee up, sinking it into his attacker’s stomach with as much force as he could muster. The assailant doubled over, taking a step back and releasing his wrists from their iron grip.

It was Zarkon.

Before Shiro could follow-up with another attack, Romelle came up from behind them and smacked Zarkon with her purse. It was large and Shiro wouldn’t have been surprised if it was filled with textbooks for her studies. Zarkon nearly fell over with the weight of it, stumbling back with a grimace. He moved towards Romelle but Shiro stepped in front of her, sticking out his arm to protect her.

“Get the hell away from him!” Romelle yelled, raising her purse threateningly. Behind her, Shay was already on the phone, asking for the police.

Zarkon took in the three of them before shooting Shiro a venomous glare. He made a beeline for his car, hopping into it and taking off before Shay had even gotten through to the police.

“Did you catch his plates?” Romelle asked as she gripped Shiro’s arm, looking him over.

“He had them covered,” Shay said furiously.

Shiro sighed, wiping his hands on his jacket to dislodge any shards of glass. “It’s fine, I know who he is.”

Zarkon was getting bolder.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt contemplated the hot dog buns. Why did they sell hot dogs in packs of ten but buns only in packs of six? He couldn’t even buy two bags of buns because then he would have too many. This was a conspiracy, goddammit.

This was why he shouldn’t be allowed to grocery shop. He got distracted way too easily.

Frowning, Matt tossed just one bag of buns into his basket. It would have to do. Maybe if he-

“Matthew Holt,” a familiar, deep voice intoned behind him.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” He turned to glare at Zarkon. “How are you not in custody? And are you seriously trying to talk to me in the fucking bread aisle?”

Zarkon scowled at him, nose crinkled in disgust. “I’d rather not speak to you at all, but I am forced to out of necessity.”

Fucker probably made bail. It was Shiro’s word against his for the attack at the shelter. Shay and Romelle hadn’t gotten a good enough look at Zarkon to pick him out of a lineup.

Well, that was fine. Matt would play smarter.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “And what is so ‘necessary’ that I have to deal with you?”

Zarkon stepped closer, looming over Matt ominously. What a turd.

“You will tell your boyfriend not to testify against me.”

Yeah, fat chance asshat.

“Your mistake is ordering me around, dipshit. I don’t have to listen to you.”

Zarkon’s smile was cold and dark. “You will if you value his life.”

Matt’s eyes narrowed.

“Or perhaps you don’t? I don’t blame you. He is just a used whore.”

Anger flared in Matt’s stomach. God, he wanted to punch Zarkon in the face again (and with much more skill, thanks Keith), but instead he smirked.

“I think I sense some jealousy from you,” he drawled, giving Zarkon a superior smirk. “You mad that he goes to bed with me and not you, bro?”

Zarkon’s fingers clenched. “Don’t speak to me like you know anything.”

“I know _everything_. Like how you and your buddies tried to gang rape him. Or how you assaulted another escort so badly he’s in a coma. Was that what you had planned for Shiro that night?”

Zarkon slammed his fist into the shelving unit behind Matt. Bread, buns and bagels tumbled to the floor. It would have been hilarious if Zarkon hadn’t been staring at him with enough hatred to fuel World War III.

“Shiro is mine, even if he denies it. No one denies me _anything_. That other escort serves as a warning. This is what happens if you disobey me. You would do well to remember that.”

“I can’t wait for your fellow inmates to treat you like the princess you think you are.”

“I-“

“Excuse me, young man, you’re very tall. Could you please pass me that loaf of multigrain bread?”

Matt frowned as Zarkon turned to glare at the old lady behind him. She stared back pleasantly, walker shaking slightly with palsy. Begrudgingly, Zarkon reached for the loaf she was pointing to and handed it to her.

“Thank you, dear. You’re such a sweetheart.” She paused, eyeing the bread. “Oh dear, this isn’t the one I wanted. Can you see if they have the green one?”

Matt’s lips stretched into a shit-eating grin as Zarkon clenched his teeth, ripping another loaf of bread off the top shelf with more force than necessary.

“Is there one with a later expiry date? I don’t like to put my bread in the freezer. It just doesn’t taste the same afterwards. My husband passed away last year, God bless him, and he loved frozen bread. Every morning I would get up and make him toast, extra crispy due to his dulled taste buds, and he…”

Matt tuned her out, inching around Zarkon so he could see his face. The man looked like a statue, desperation hidden deep in his eyes; a common look on those trapped by the never-ending stories of the elderly.

Matt stepped back behind the lady and gave Zarkon dual middle finger salutes, sticking his tongue out for added immaturity just because he could.

Zarkon’s eyes turned murderous but Matt spun on his heel, whistling as he made his way down the aisle.

Zarkon might think he was smart, but Matt would always be smarter.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, cackling quietly to himself as he turned off the voice recorder.

Holy fuck, he was brilliant.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Shiro, seriously, you’re making me anxious and this isn’t even my party.”

Shiro stood stiffly, surveying the festivities. “I forgot to order straws.”

Matt gasped in mock horror, hand to his chest and nearly spilling his soda in the process. “Well that’s it. Shut it down. Clearly this fundraiser is a sham.”

Shiro glared at him, shoulders tense. “Matt-”

Matt looped his arm around Shiro’s waist, resting his head on his shoulder. His skin was warm and helped to soothe Shiro’s nerves better than a million plastic straws.

“Relax! Smile! Everyone’s having a good time. Who wouldn’t when surrounded by all these adorable animals? I guarantee you that most if not all of them will be adopted before the end of the night.”

God, Shiro hoped so. He really wanted these animals to find a nice home. They deserved it. But even if they weren’t adopted, he wanted to make sure the shelter got enough funds to take care of them. This fundraiser was important. He didn’t want to let them down.

“Matt, this is important.”

Matt softened against him, giving him a more serious look. “I know that, jellybean, but you’re going to scare everyone away with your resting bitch face.”

Shiro rolled his eyes, giving Matt an over-the-top pout. “I don’t have resting bitch face.”

Matt leaned in close so he could whisper in Shiro’s ear. “More like resting _on_ my face.”

Shiro snorted, taking a sip of his drink to try and hide his reddening face. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Just admit it turned you on a little.” Matt’s signature smug smirk was firmly in place.

Goddammit.

“Never.”

Matt hummed knowingly, the asshole.

Matt just had a way of easing his anxiety like no one else could and quite often without Shiro even realizing it. He’d praise him for this talent, but he really didn’t need to add fuel to that ego, even if it was entirely earned.

Shiro let his fingers tangle with Matt’s, squeezing his hand gently. Matt gave him a thousand-watt smile and Shiro’s heart melted. He had it _bad_.

“Matt-”

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’d just like to thank you for your generous contributions to this fine establishment! We were hoping to raise twenty thousand dollars today,” Lance announced on the microphone as everyone paused in the festivities to listen in. Lance gave the room a dazzling smile as he gestured everyone in closer. Choosing him to help host this party had been a good choice. Lance was a theatre major and definitely had that stage presence that made people sit up and pay attention.

“Now, before we announce the results of this silent auction, we’ve got one more _delectable_ selection for those of you with impeccable taste.”

Oh no. What was he doing? He had that sparkle in his eye that Shiro was quickly learning to fear.

“Well, he’s certainly piqued my interest,” Matt whispered, looking intrigued.

“This fundraiser couldn’t have happened without the assistance of one very special veterinarian,” Lance continued, teeth sparkling in the light as he gave the audience a wink.

Oh.

Oh no.

No.

“Shiro, why don’t you come up here, big guy?”

Oh, look, his anxiety had returned.

Shiro shook his head slightly, giving Lance his best impersonation of a startled mime.

“Aww, someone’s being shy. Let’s encourage him, everyone!”

The crowd laughed, quickly taking up the chant of Shi-ro, Shi-ro, Shi-ro.

Matt nudged him towards the stage, giving him a cheesy double thumbs-up.

Stiffly, Shiro made his way up on stage. Last time he had done this he’d ended up kissing Matt. Something told him this wouldn’t end so nicely.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got something special for you tonight. This fine specimen of a man beside me is Takashi Shirogane, your local veterinarian and all-around nice guy.” Lance paused, looking Shiro up and down deliberately. “ _All-around_ , if you know what I mean. C’mon Shiro, show them the goods.”

Fighting his rising blush, Shiro let Lance slowly turn him in place.

The audience roared, so loud and shrill it was like being at a Justin Bieber concert. Someone in the crowd wolf whistled. Shiro would have bet an entire year’s worth of salary that it was Matt.

“Our final auction for the day is a sexy boudoir photoshoot calendar of our very own, smoking hot veterinarian complete with seasonal costumes and all the puppies and kittens you could ask for.”

This was supposed to be a family friendly event.

“Lance!” He hissed as the crowd went _wild_ , hooting and hollering in excitement.

“Give the people what they want, Shiro.”

Hm, the people did look ecstatic over this. God, it was embarrassing but not really any different than the photos he had done for the escort website.

Oh God, was he contemplating this?

“Let’s start the bid at fifty dollars!” Lance grinned, pointing to the audience.

“Two hundred!” Someone yelled immediately.

“Three!”

“Five hundred!”

“One thousand dollars!”

Lance was beside himself with enthusiasm, gesturing to everyone to keep it going.

Matt pushed his way to the front of the crowd. “Five thousand dollars!”

Shiro nearly fell off the stage.

“Matt-”

Lance looked about ready to burst. “Five thousand do-“

“Ten thousand dollars,” Another, deeper voice intoned with authority and Shiro felt his blood run cold.

Zarkon stepped up to the front, nearly crushing a small dog in the process. Lance’s face fell slightly at the sight of him.

“Oh, uh-”

Matt glared at Zarkon. “Fifteen thousand dollars!”

What was happening right now?

The crowd was really riled up as the two high bidders faced off.

“Twenty,” Zarkon drawled, looking bored.

Lance looked at Shiro, concerned.

“Twenty-five,” Matt grinned, unrepentant.

Zarkon’s lips thinned. “Enough of this. Fifty thousand dollars.”

Shiro covered his face with his hands. Zarkon had made a terrible mistake.

He’d challenged a Holt.

Matt vaulted onto the stage, grabbing the microphone from Lance and shooting the audience his most debonair smile. “One hundred thousand dollars.”

The crowd was beside itself with exhilaration, so loud the entire building shook with their cheers.

Shiro glanced at the group of volunteers that helped run the shelter. Most of them looked like they were near tears at the thought of what they could do with that kind of funds.

Zarkon’s scowl deepened. “Two hundred thousand dollars.”

Matt didn’t even flinch. “Five hundred thousand dollars. Don’t test me. I can keep going, he’s worth it.”

“Matt,” Shiro said, trying to ignore how his heart danced around in his chest as he moved towards him. He put his hand on his shoulder. “Stop.”

“Do you even _have_ five hundred thousand dollars?” Zarkon snarled, fingers curling into claws like he desperately wanted to strangle Matt with them, but he couldn’t.

Matt gave Zarkon a superior look. “Do _you_?”

The two of them glowered at each other as the audience held its breath.

“G-going once!” Lance called out staring between the two men uncertainly. “Going twice!”

Zarkon gave Shiro one last furious look before turning on his heel and shoving his way through the crowd.

“Sold! To the strange but scarily hot man on stage!” Lance cheered as the spectators lost their shit, screaming so loud Shiro flinched.

Matt’s eyes sparkled as he turned to Shiro, looking way too proud of himself.

“Why did you do that?” Shiro asked, brain still in shock. Everything had happened so fast. How…how did this happen?

“I know it’s not a Maserati, but I figured you’d like this more.”

“Matt, I-” Shiro choked, hand covering his mouth as he fought off tears. “How could I ever repay you for this?”

Matt stared at him like he was a particularly complicated puzzle. After a moment, a fond smile spread across his face. He stepped right up into Shiro’s space, ignoring the crowd’s catcalls as he reached up to grip the back of Shiro’s neck, thumb brushing against the sensitive skin there. “You can repay me by looking at the dictionary definition for ‘gift’. I wanted to do this. For the animals and to piss off Zarkon. But, mostly, I wanted to do this for you.”

Warmth shot through Shiro’s body, skin tingling wherever Matt touched him. This stupid, _stunning_ genius was going to be the death of him.

“I make so much money off my inventions, I never really know what to do with it. I don’t need anything fancy, I just need you,” Matt whispered in Shiro’s ear, nearly drowned out by the excited crowd.

Shiro wondered briefly if his heart was going to pound right out of his chest. He loved this man so, _so_ much it was nearly unbearable. The intensity of it all frightened him, so intoxicating, so all-consuming he didn’t think he could ever let him go.

Raising trembling hands to cup Matt’s face, Shiro pressed forward, capturing Matt’s lips with his own. Matt’s fingers spasmed on his neck, tightening slightly as he smiled into the kiss.

Zarkon could take everything from him, but it was okay so long as he still had Matt.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

When it was all said and done, they raised five hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

They renamed the shelter after Matt.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

He wouldn’t shut up about it.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The prosecution would like to call on their next witness, Takashi Shirogane.”

Shiro swallowed carefully as he got up from his seat. Matt squeezed his hand gently before letting him go. Shiro’s muscles felt stiff, like he’d suddenly forgotten how to walk like a normal person. Straightening his shoulders, Shiro walked with determined purpose he most definitely didn’t feel, head held high.

He was putting everything on the line here. Everyone was going to know what he was. He might lose his job, his friends- everything was riding on this conviction.

Shiro carefully stepped up to the stand. As he turned around to face the room, his eyes settled on Zarkon.

They’d already been here for hours, listening to all the testimony that Allura had managed to round up. It was a distressing amount of people, all of which pointed to a disturbing and dangerous man. Zarkon listened to the statements with a bored look on his face, occasionally scoffing when a particularly emotional witness took the stand. He didn’t seem concerned at all and that was…

That was discouraging.

Now, for the first time, Zarkon appeared to be taking an interest in the proceedings, staring unblinkingly at Shiro as he was sworn in.

Zarkon was obsessed with him. Shiro knew that now. It was disturbing to see, watching his jaw clench as the prosecutor went through the preliminaries, eyes smouldering with anger whenever Shiro mentioned another client or looked over at Matt. He couldn’t stand the thought of Shiro being with someone else.

He was dangerous. If he didn’t get convicted today, Shiro was afraid for his and Matt’s safety.

“Can you please describe to the jury the last night you spent with the defendant?” The prosecutor asked, giving Shiro an encouraging smile as she gestured briefly to Zarkon.

Shiro set his jaw and leaned in towards the mic.

_Shiro sighed as he slid out of the taxi. He had been having such a good time with Matt, he was disappointed to have to leave him so suddenly. Matt had always been very understanding about Shiro’s job, but he just wanted to get this over with so he could go back to the genius and challenge him to a game of Dance Dance Revolution. Matt was awful at it, a mess of limbs and hair flailing on the dance mat, but he always managed to be entertaining._

_Shiro ran his fingers through his slicked back hair. Zarkon always liked it when he could see Shiro’s eyes, something he constantly brought up whenever Shiro was visiting him. It was a bit creepy, but in this line of business he’d seen much worse._

_Climbing the steps to Zarkon’s mahogany front door, Shiro tapped gently with the knocker. This house was the biggest he had ever been in, and that was including that ambassador from Dubai that had an entire building just for his collection of phallic memorabilia._

_Zarkon greeted him at the door with a smile, gesturing him in and closing the door gently behind him. Before Shiro could do more than take off his jacket, Zarkon was crowding him against the wall, teeth scraping along his throat as he lapped at the sensitive skin there. Shiro rolled his eyes at the ceiling. He couldn’t at least let him take off his shoes? He hated it when people got right to it. It was usually better if he had the opportunity to build things up._

_Matt would crack a joke about romance being dead._

_Oh no, maybe he shouldn’t be thinking about Matt right now, or-_

_Shiro bit his bottom lip to try and contain his moan as, instead of Zarkon, he imagined it was_ Matt’s _fingers gripping his hip,_ Matt’s _breath hot on his ear as he slipped a thigh between Shiro’s legs to rub up against him enticingly._

_Fuck._

_Shiro keened quietly as Matt-_ no, Zarkon, it was Zarkon- _bit down on the juncture between his shoulder and his neck, sending a spark of painpleasurepain coursing through him. He rolled his hips, riding that thigh as-_

_“If you don’t stop you’re going to spoil the evening.”_

_Zarkon huffed against Shiro’s neck as his fingers dug into his skin hard enough to bruise. “I thought you had left already.”_

_Shiro pulled himself away from his fantasy to peer up at Zarkon’s wife, Haggar, as she glided gracefully down the grand staircase._

_“I am running a bit late.” Haggar looked them both up and down. “Perhaps you’ll stick around for when I come back, Shiro?”_

_If he stuck around that meant he wouldn’t get to see Matt. But, Haggar and Zarkon were some of his most well-paying clients and that would mean making double in one night. It would bring him one step closer to closing the door on his escort career forever._

_“I’m happy to oblige.” Shiro gave her his most dazzling smile, breath hitching as she ran her hand down his chest._

_“My husband can’t control himself around you. But, frankly, neither can I.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, deep and dirty before turning to her husband and giving him the same treatment. “Have a good time, boys.”_

_Zarkon pulled back as she walked out of the house. “She’s right. Let’s have some dinner. I’ve got something special for you tonight.”_

_Shiro followed Zarkon towards the dining room, straightening out his clothes as he went._

_This was going to be a long night._

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Shiro used dinner as a chance to centre himself and try and focus on his client. He couldn’t let himself think of Matt like he had earlier. Zarkon was bound to notice if Shiro suddenly acted differently in bed. He couldn’t know that what he usually got was an act, carefully tailored to suit Zarkon’s preferences._

_As usual, the meal was exquisite. The steak practically melted in his mouth and the potatoes were to die for. Matt would love-_

_Stop. Just stop._

_Shiro reached for his glass of sparkling water, taking a few more sips as if to wash away thoughts of his friend. And that’s all they were, friends, nothing more. Shiro shouldn’t be thinking of him this way._

_The sparkling water was bubbly, leaving a sweet aftertaste on his tongue. Zarkon was one of the very few clients that had no issues with his refusal to drink alcohol. Others had tried to slip it past him, but his tolerance was so low he could taste it no matter how hard they tried to cover it up._

_Zarkon told Shiro about how his campaign was going as he geared up for another election. Shiro wasn’t entirely sure what position he was trying to get, but he didn’t doubt for a moment that it would be his. Zarkon was not the kind of person to sit back and let someone else take charge._

_Shiro blinked as Zarkon continued to drone on. His movements seemed to be sluggish and Shiro was having trouble focusing on him. He was so tired, what-_

_What was happening?_

_The room was tilting around him as if he’d spent the last hour on the tea cup ride at Disneyland. He struggled to stand, not even reacting as he knocked cutlery to the floor. Alarm bells rang in his head signalling danger, danger, DANGER._

_“Let me help you to the bed.” Large hands grasped his bicep and Shiro flinched, sluggishly trying to pull away._

_“No…” He slurred, stumbling over empty air as a few more figures seemed to materialize out of the darkness creeping around his vision. “Stop.”_

_“It’s fine, just relax.”_

_Hands, more than he could count, pulled at his clothes. A button popped off his shirt with the strain, the ping as it hit the floor disturbingly loud. Lips captured his own, forceful and demanding, tongue pushing into his mouth._

_He needed to get out of here._

_“Stop,” he mumbled again, trying to push someone away but even as he shoved one pair of hands another pair reached for him. “S’mthin’s wrong…”_

_“Relax…”_

_At some point he ended up in the bedroom. He couldn’t remember leaving the dining room, couldn’t remember going all the way up the stairs. The soft fabric of the duvet was lulling him to sleep._

_He blinked slowly as the canopy swayed. Was he on a boat? When-_

_“He hasn’t passed out yet.”_

_“I want him to feel it.”_

_Hands in his hair, pulling and twisting, sending a spike of pain through his scalp. Memories he’d locked deep down, so deep he could pretend they weren’t even there, clawed at his eyes like zombies bursting through the dirt and mud, sinking into his skin like an old tattoo, never to be removed; a constant reminder of what his mother had done to hi-_

_No. Not that. Not again._

_Shiro bit down on the tongue exploring his mouth, heart soaring at the cry of pain and taste of copper on his lips._

_He was getting out of here._

_Time skipped ahead again, leaving him at the top of the stairs. His shirt was ripped open, buttons missing. Where had they gone- what? Blood speckled the pristine white fabric. He couldn’t focus on them as they danced across his vision, leaving black spots in their wake._

_“Grab him!” A voice yelled as if from far away, somehow too loud and too quiet at the same time._

_He stumbled down the stairs, feet unresponsive and sluggish. He fell down the last few steps, pain enveloping his body as he rolled to a stop on the hardwood floor._

_Hands grasped at his ankle, dragging him along the floor back, back-_

_He was outside, staggering past the gate. His knuckles ached, skin stinging as he gripped onto a brick wall to try and stabilize himself. He couldn’t remember how he got there or where he was, mind stuttering and faltering as he tried to_ remember _._

_By some miracle he managed to hail a cab, voice slurring nearly incomprehensively as he rattled out his address._

_Somehow, he had escaped._

_He needed to call Matt. No, Keith. He should call Keith._

_He should…_

_Call…_

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt clenched his teeth as Shiro finished his testimony, gripping his pants to prevent himself from fidgeting. He wanted to be there beside him. He wished his could go back in time and stop Shiro from ever going out to that asshat’s house.

Fuck.

“The defence may now cross-examine the witness.” The judge gestured towards Zarkon and his lawyer.

“Mr. Shirogane, how long have you been a whore?”

“Objection!” The prosecutor snapped. “The defence is trying to discredit the witness based on his occupation.”

“I’m sorry, I will rephrase the question,” The defence lawyer sneered. Matt wanted to claw his eyes out with a rusty fork. “How long have you been an escort?”

Shiro didn’t appear fazed by his earlier question. Already he was doing much better than Matt would have. “Seven years.”

“That would have made you…eighteen when you started?”

“That’s right.”

“And in those seven years, how many people have you slept with?”

“Objection, this has nothing to do with this case.” The prosecutor frowned.

The judge gave the defence lawyer a stern look. “Is this line of questioning going somewhere?”

“Of course, your Honour, please bear with me.”

“Overruled, but you better get to the point.”

Everyone looked to Shiro.

“I don’t know how many,” he said quietly.

Matt scanned the jury. They had been looking sympathetic to Shiro after his testimony, but now they were giving him considering looks as they contemplated his history. He should have known this defence lawyer would be a sleazebag.

“Hm, at eighteen I imagine the life of an escort sounded like a dream. Getting paid outrageous amounts of money to sleep with someone? It would certainly allow you to buy all the latest, name brand merchandise. A life of parties, booze and drugs.”

“Someone sounds jealous,” Matt muttered, just loud enough for Keith to hear. The other man snorted, arms crossed over his chest as his eyes burned with anger.

Shiro’s shoulder’s slumped and Matt watched the prosecutor smirk to herself. Yeah, the defence attorney had made a big mistake.

“I became an escort to pay for many things,” Shiro said somberly, standing up to take off his suit jacket so he could roll up his sleeve and show the jury his prosthetic. “I lost my arm at eighteen due to a drunk driver. Shortly before that my grandmother passed away leaving my little brother and I alone. My medical expenses and her funeral were very expensive, especially when I was trying to get custody over my brother and save him from the foster system.”

Matt grinned as several of the jury members looked close to tears.

The defence lawyer seemed to realize his mistake. “I don’t th-”

“I couldn’t get a job because of my injury and I couldn’t leave my little brother to starve.” Shiro gave the jury a look brimming with humble determination. “I did what I had to do. He was only eleven years old. I’d do it all again to keep him safe.”

One of the jurors actually sniffed.

“W-well, in the seven years you were selling yourself, how many times had Zarkon used your services?”

Shiro contemplated that. “About three or four times a month for a year and a half. He was my most frequent customer.”

“And in that time had he ever shown a propensity towards violence?”

“Yes.”

“Such as?”

“There was one incident where I received a call from another client while I was out with Zarkon. I didn’t answer it, because it’s rude to do so while I’m on the job, but Zarkon didn’t like that someone else was seeking my time. He destroyed the phone.”

The jurors looked concerned. It was understandable, someone who would react like that over something so small was not someone you could trust.

“Okay, next question-“

“I’m sorry, I’m not finished.” Shiro interrupted politely, shifting in his seat. “One of my past clients was a former gang member. One time when we were out his former colleagues shot up the restaurant we were at. I was shot,” Shiro paused, pointing to his shoulder.

Wait, Shiro hadn’t mentioned that. Damn.

“Zarkon didn’t like that I had to cancel our next appointment. He retaliated by having my former client attacked.”

“Objection, he can’t prove that, Your Honour.” The defence attorney scowled.

“Actually, I can. Go ahead and look up his record, you’ll see he paid out the victim himself to prevent court proceedings.”

“I have the confirmation right here,” the prosecutor announced, passing it to the judge.

“Sustained.”

“I’ve already told you all about his recent obsessive behaviour with me after I left the escort business. Finally, when Zarkon learned I planned to testify against him in this trial, he went after my partner.” Shiro turned to Matt, eyes fierce and proud. “Thankfully my boyfriend is a genius and recorded the event. Security cameras at the grocery store corroborate th-”

“Objection, the witness is speaking to events he was not privy to.”

The prosecutor stood up. “This is fine, we will be submitting this evidence later.”

“Overruled. Witness, please stick to only firsthand accounts.”

“My apologies, Your Honour.”

As the defence lawyer wrapped up the last of his questions, Matt felt himself relax. Shiro had made a good showing of it and he was so proud of him. He hoped that all of this testimony would be enough to put Zarkon away for good.

As Shiro stepped down from the stand, his eyes searched out Matt and he gave him a nervous smile. All they could do now was wait and hope the jury made the right decision.

Matt glanced over at Zarkon, ready to hit him with one of his patented smug smirks. Zarkon had been disconcertingly quiet throughout Shiro’s testimony, and Matt couldn’t wait-

Wait, why was he getting up?

“You belong to _me_!”

Something flashed in Zarkon’s hand as he shoved past his lawyer, darting towards Shiro. His eyes were alight with a dark purpose, so cold it caused the hairs on the back of Matt’s neck to raise in fear.

“Shiro!”

The crowd screamed as Zarkon slashed at Shiro’s face, narrowly missing him as he jerked back. Instead, blood splattered across the tile floor as the knife scraped across the bridge of Shiro’s nose. Matt rushed forward along with half the courtroom, Keith hot on his heels and practically frothing from the mouth in rage.

Despite the blood running down is face in a sheet of startling red, Shiro batted Zarkon’s next slash away with his prosthetic, following up with the heel of his left hand to Zarkon’s nose.

Fuck, he wasn’t going to have a nose at this rate.

The knife clattered to the ground as the courtroom security pounced, dragging Zarkon back even as blood trailed down his face like a waterfall. The entire time he was screaming for Shiro, eyes bulging with obsessive mania. Keith looked about ready to join them, but his concern for Shiro outweighed his desire for revenge.

“Shiro!” Keith shoved past Matt, hands hovering over his brother as if unsure what to do.

“I-I’m fine,” Shiro reassured him, as if saying those words would automatically erase the blood drenching his shirt.

“You’re _not_ fine.” Matt growled, taking off his own jacket to start dabbing at Shiro’s face. Paramedics swarmed them, moving Shiro to take a seat while they pulled out their equipment.

“He needs to go to a hospital, this is going to need stitches.”

Matt could still hear Zarkon screaming, still trying to get at Shiro. The police had him in handcuffs, struggling to drag him out of the room.

If there was one good thing to come out of this madness, it was that there was no way the jury wasn’t going to convict him now.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As usual, he was right.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt smiled as Shiro snored quietly beside him, one arm tucked under his pillow and the other slung lazily around Matt’s waist.

The cut to his nose was mostly healed now, but it had left him with some sinus issues and a mild case of nighttime snores. He hadn’t snored before the incident, but thankfully it wasn’t insanely loud like Matt’s dad after a night of drinking.

Matt snuggled up closer to Shiro, revelling in the feeling of Shiro unconsciously tightening his grip on his waist. Maybe he could convince Shiro to spend the day in bed. They’d certainly earned some relaxation after all the shit Zarkon had put them through.

Shiro mumbled something quietly, fingers tightening briefly. Matt held his breath, but after a moment Shiro’s eyes slid open, dark and heavy with sleep.

“W’s I sn’ring?” He mumbled, tugging Matt closer.

Matt laughed, pressing a gentle kiss to Shiro’s nose. “I was already awake.”

“Mm…” Shiro hummed, eyes slipping closed again. He let his hand slide up Matt’s body, stopping to run his fingers through Matt’s longer locks, scratching at his scalp in all the right places.

Matt groaned, feeling his muscles turn to mush. There was just something so nice about Shiro’s fingers in his hair. Shiro seemed to like the feel of it, if the smile on his face was anything to go by.

After a moment, Shiro chuckled quietly.

“Wha?” Matt mumbled, prying his eyes open. When had he closed them?

Shiro’s hand paused in his hair and Matt made an embarrassing sound at the loss. Shiro laughed again, hard enough that the bed shook slightly.

“It’s just…you’re like Champion when I brush him.”

Matt squawked. “You’re comparing me to the _dog_?!”

“When the shoe fits…”

“How _dare_ you, sir. I-”

Champion bounded into the room excitedly, likely happy to hear his name and the word ‘brush’ in one sentence. He ran towards the bed.

“No, wait, Champ-” Shiro stuck his hand out but it was too late. Champion, and all his considerable weight, pounced on top of them both as he leapt onto the bed.

“Augh!” Matt and Shiro exclaimed as a paw found its way onto each of their stomachs.

“Get off, you’re too fat!” Matt yelped, pushing at the soft fur.

“He’s just big boned,” Shiro laughed, dodging Champion’s tail as it wagged eagerly.

Matt groaned, flopping back onto the bed.

This was his life now.

He wouldn’t change it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Canon Zarkon was so obsessed with the Black Lion in the show that it caused him to do really stupid things. I just transferred that obsession to Shiro here. The scene with the knife I actually got from a real-life stalker case where the perpetrator attacked his victim with a knife at the trial...after holding her and her child hostage for 2 months and sexually assaulting her. Stalking is no joke, please reach out to someone for help if you're being stalked. 
> 
> Fun Fact: I can't believe I forgot to share this in 'A Helping Hand'. So, my cell number ended up on an escort website once, no joke. My phone number was nearly identical to this escort's number except the last two digits were swapped. So on her website she had it correct in one spot but had mine in another spot. I was getting phone calls from unknown numbers at all hours of the day and night and I couldn't figure out why. I usually don't answer unknown numbers, but after awhile I finally did and the guy was kinda creepy but at least nice enough to tell me where he found the number. He seemed shocked that I wasn't 'Aurora' who had FFF breasts. I assured him that was most definitely not me. Strangely enough, I really had to push to get my number removed from the website. I even called the escort and left her a message asking her to fix her number cause she was missing out on clients but she never did anything. Anyway, yeah, that's my story. Strange things like this happen to me all the time.
> 
> Please feel free to talk to me about Voltron on [Tumblr](http://eilera-chan.tumblr.com/). :)


End file.
